Alessandro: June 2010

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Playing with the kids at ACTS !!!

Here I am at ACTS school playing with the kids. They are so funny and loving. They all wanted to talk to me and they especially found my braces amusing, they must think I am a robot ... lol

Here are pic by pic motion of me lifting a kid up and down ... I must have lifted about 20 kids ... my back was broken after ... but it was worth it

They love the spot light ... where is WALDO?

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Rainy Season !!!

Here in Cambodia there are only two seasons, the dry and rainy season. Right now it is the rainy season. A typical day involves a morning to early afternoon sunny day and high humidity to mid afternoon rain storms. They don't last long but they sure do their part.

Here is a picture of me and Lauren crossing the street trying to get home. The water is well past my ankles in some areas.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Spaghetti and Meatballs ... yummy !!!

Today I cooked pasta for the staff at the ACTS school, the school I will be training the teachers in crafts. ACTS, Assisting Children to School, is a Christian based program that assists children to school both in the morning and afternoons. Here in Cambodia, children attend public schools either in the morning, from 7:30 am to 11:30 pm, or in the afternoon, from 2 pm to 5 pm. This is due to many reasons, but mainly due to the lack of teachers and low salary for teachers. So ACTS steps in and offers free schooling for anyone who wants to attend when not in school.

I hope they like it ...

I guess they like it ...

Here are the ACTS staff, Stephanie and I ...

Friday, June 25, 2010

Deep Fried Spider ... anyone?

On the second day that I arrived in Cambodia, my team and I visited a market where me and Vince decided that deep fried spider and cricket would be great for a snack. Here are pictures of me eating a deep fried spider, it looks like a tarantula to me. It tastes kind of like beef jerkey ... lol

... it was very crunchy ...

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Khmer Language

I am currently learning to speak the Cambodian language Khmer. My team and I have a weeks worth of lesson ... Khmer is hard lol ... but the people are very nice and patient so whenever I get a chance I converse with them.

It is so great here, the people are amazing. I am currently living with my teammates upstairs a second hand shop in Phnom Pehn. Their names are: Lauren Raymond from Massachusetts; Jessica Spare from Kansas; Vince Yung from Texas; Stephanie Dorn from Nebraska. Also living with us are three others from Indonesia, their names are Tigor, Madan and Rika (They are so kool).

Although I have only been here for five days I feel like I have experienced so much the Khmer culture. I will be teaching crafts to school teachers in Phnom Pehn and two provinces. I don't start my crafts teaching until July 5 but I started attending one of the schools that I will be teaching at, and the staff are amazing. They are so full of joy.

I cannot wait what God as in store for me this coming up weeks !!!